


Honesty's the Best Policy

by thebottomoftheocean



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Ambiguous Age, He's also a Cher-Loving Gay, Heartbreak, Keith (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Not Beta Read, Past Rape/Non-con, Romelle is the main character, Slow Dancing, They're barely adults, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:35:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebottomoftheocean/pseuds/thebottomoftheocean
Summary: **REPOST**When someone falls in love, it's beautiful. Catastrophic, wild, reckless, yet beautiful, especially when it's the for the first time.It's bittersweet to watch. Love looks like stupidity, because it is foolish. understanding the significance someone holds in your life gives way to a certain kind of vulnerability which only those in love willingly accept. To the most of us, it's a gamble which doesn't seem worth taking up on. Especially in Romelle's case.How could something which seemed so right to Keith be, in truth, so horribly wrong?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Minor or Background Relationship(s)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a bit of introductory ramble, for some context as to why I deleted this fic and decided to repost it.
> 
> I remember writing this in 2019, and posting it a while later and feeling immensely proud, then taking it down almost immediately after I finished posting it because i was afraid that one of my irls would see it. I found it while looking through my files, and felt quite nostalgic. I haven't done any editing to the text since then - it's almost word-for-word the exact same fic I published all that time ago.
> 
> Some of the slightly darker things in this fic weren't handled brilliantly, but it was part of my process at the time, so I've pretty much forgiven it. Writing this was incredibly self-serving, and it's more for me and a reflection of my experiences than a story which would be enjoyable for other people, but I'm putting it here anyway :)) 
> 
> It's kind of bittersweet to think about how much things have changed since then, and how much my writing has changed since then too, so I wanted to repost it and hopefully be brave enough to keep it here this time. It's really not my finest work, but it's of great significance to me, 'cause 2019-2020 was a whole era in itself. This fic really reflects that.
> 
> Sorry for the super long note. Please enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The things which happened last night part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: If you're in quarantine, I hope you're looking after yourselves and take the time do to something you enjoy :)  
> If not, then you've probably survived the apocalypse so congrats!  
> Generally I don't write, so I didn't anticipate how fun this would be: it's basically my wonderfully naïve view on romance. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Edit: So, no, we're not out of the apocalypse yet. Honestly, responding to these notes feels like responding to a past diary or something similar.

When someone falls in love, it’s beautiful. Catastrophic, wild, reckless, yet beautiful. It’s a fascinating thing to watch someone slip into that blissful, fantastical world where imperfections are a trivial thing, and morality becomes just that little bit more subjective to favour love which, despite its being abstract and the fact that perfection cannot exist, is only too real and conquers all good sense. 

It’s bittersweet to watch. It looks like stupidity, because it is foolish. Understanding the significance someone holds in your life gives way to a certain kind of vulnerability which only those in love willingly accept. To the rest of us, it’s a gamble which doesn’t seem worth taking up on. Especially in Romelle’s case. 

How could something which seemed so right to Keith be, in truth, so horribly wrong? Romelle detested all of it: that smile, that dreamy appearance in his indigo eyes, that faraway expression. Keith’s childlike excitement whenever he talked about _him_. 

After his disappearance with Lance yesterday, Romelle feared whatever might’ve happened to elevate this dreamlike state he was living in to a completed beautiful and delusional fantasy in which Lance was the image of perfection and love. 

And, through this interrogation, she was about to find out exactly what. 

Over the course of summer, Keith’s infatuation with Lance had become increasingly problematic. After his return from England (Keith had spent a year abroad in a single-sex boarding school – since his only other option was rehab – and he had an odd enjoyment for singing hymns), Krolia thought it was fitting for him to catch up with everybody over a summer camp. Keith arrived back in rural sunny west Virginia, equipped with a wetsuit and copious amounts of waterproof eyeliner, ready to bond with everybody through coasteering, scuba diving and absolutely no alcohol. 

It was now the last night of the tumultuous summer camp, and Romelle, anxious about Keith’s intentions with Lance – _Lance_ , of all people – decided that she should tell Keith the truth about Lance and urge him to consider whether he really wanted to pursue a future with someone like him. Was she a bad friend for praying that this relationship of sorts was just a fling? Or that last night had, worst case scenario, been a one-time thing? 

Whilst the pair hadn’t made it completely explicit, the consensus within their group of friends was that Keith and Lance were together and relatively serious about each other. This was, truthfully, Romelle’s worst nightmare - alongside Keith taking Lance to his bedroom, which Romelle was pretty sure he had done yesterday. 

If the sex was good, how on earth was she to convince him that _that_ didn’t align with their overall compatibility? 

“So.”

Keith glanced at Romelle expectantly. It had just gone midnight, and Romelle was lying with Keith on his lumpy mattress, watching their third Cher movie of the night on her ancient laptop. Since she didn’t have any packing to do, anybody to see or the emotional capacity to say goodbye to Allura (who she was still very much in love with), Romelle thought that is was only fitting to spend the last night with Keith, doing a much-needed movie marathon before the long journey back to Virginia. The door of his small wooden cabin had been left wide open in the vain hope that the occasional breeze might ease one of her many discomforts, but the air remained unmoving and uncomfortably warm, even in the middle of the night. 

She had just about lost patience with Keith, who kept glancing at his phone and repeatedly turning his notifications on and off, running one hand through his seemingly – almost definitely - unwashed hair. The shower block near their cabins only ran cold and was too open for anybody to use in good conscience. Regardless of this, Keith’s incessant tousling was infuriating and distracting. Thankfully, Lotor had gone home a night early to catch a flight to God-knows-where, so they had the cabin to themselves for the night, which was important for what Romelle was about to do. 

“So what?” 

“What happened to you yesterday?” The question, intended with no malice, came out slightly sharper than Romelle would’ve liked. At least she managed to keep the urgency out of her voice. She couldn’t alarm Keith this early in the conversation. 

“When?” Keith replied without looking up from the laptop. Romelle wondered if he was distracted or plain stupid. 

“You and Lance just disappeared. And after all the shit he pulled.” She slapped the space button on her laptop, somewhat aggressively, to pause Christina Aguilera’s buffering performance of “Guy What Takes His Time” – much to Keith’s disappointment – and closed her laptop. “Make the story brief, then we can finish this.” 

Keith would’ve protested, but he had really been dying to tell Romelle all day. She had carefully avoided mentioning Lance, and he didn’t know whether this was intentional or not. Burlesque could wait. 

“I don’t really know where to start. You were there at the bonfire. Nothing much happened there, but I’m pretty sure that Pidge and James figured out that Lance and I are together. Not that I’m concerned, because we might become official-” 

“Then answer me this. Did you or did you not fuck yesterday, Keith?” 

He flinched slightly at her tone but tried not to let her show how much she unnerved him. “What is it to you?” 

“You matter, Keith. I’m trying to make sure you’re okay. Look at where we are. I’ve seen you almost every day, but I feel like we haven’t even talked.” 

Romelle’s manner almost made Keith laugh. When it came to boys, she was almost worse than Krolia. “We’ve hardly talked about what happened this summer. What really happened, because you’re seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses.” 

Keith shifted to prop himself up on an elbow, so that he was facing Romelle.

“Please, don’t start telling me that Lance _isn’t who I think he is_. We all know his potential to be a huge dick but that doesn’t change the fact that he is good. Literally the epitome of good.” 

“I’m serious. You weren’t here when he arrived. So much happened that you don’t know about and I think that you deserve the whole truth about him.” 

“Okay. Dramatic. Where do you want to start? Did he kill someone?” 

“No.” Romelle lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. “I think you should start. Start from last night. Maybe you’ll realise some things on the way.” 

Keith’s incredulity steadily ate at Romelle’s patience. “You want me to talk about last night. You want me to do this in order to realise what happened. Last night.” 

“Yes.” And with a dash of condescendence, she added: “Try objectivity for a change. Picking and choosing when to notice people’s shittiness must get tiring at some point.” 

Keith only sat sullenly, glaring slightly at the ceiling as he cast his mind back to the previous night.

~

_Keith inhaled deeply as the ocean breeze blew the strong scent of salty spray towards him. The moon shone, and it was striking; the silver light illuminated the coast as far as the group of friends could see, creating an eerie ambiance._

_Stumbling over the large, slippery stones, Keith cautiously made his way towards the shoreline. Lance occasionally tightened his grip on Keith’s arm, laughing at how hopelessly he slid over the rocks as they approached the bonfire down the beach. Every time he felt that squeeze on his arm, an odd sort of sadness washed over him. How long would it take for their journey to end? For their relationship to reach a crossroads and part ways, or a dead end? How long before it got lost?_

_Already feeling nostalgic about his and Lance’s future. The feeling heightened whenever they were intimate in a way which most would take for granted. With Lance supporting him, he felt perfectly safe. He needed to treasure that._

_Despite this, Keith was glad that Pidge decided to host their leaving celebration by the beach, for he knew how much both Lance and Romelle loved the seaside. The smooth stones eventually sloped off into coarse sand which crunched slightly underfoot. Brushing his hand against Lance’s, he reminisced silently upon all the wonderful, and not so wonderful, times they had spent there._

_“Hey, Lance.”_

_“Mm.”_

_“Do you remember the strawberry aneno – anem – a – shut up, Lance – ameno – anemone?” Lance snorted as Keith stammered his way through the sentence, butchering the word “anemone.” As always. “It was gorgeous, but you freaked ‘cos you thought it was a jellyfish.”_

_“Yeah. I seem to remember you nearly being crushed by the very cave in which you found the_ an-em-on-e _,” retorted Lance. Keith whirled to face him. “Excuse me! I, for one, was perfectly ready to accept my death. We would’ve gotten out just fine if you hadn’t launched yourself onto that column and made the entire cave collapse because of the anemone.” Keith’s face was the perfect image of mock hurt, so irresistibly cute that Lance could help taking Keith’s hand in his own and quickly kissing it. Keith flushed slightly as they continued walking side by side. The motion went unnoticed by everybody but James, who raised an eyebrow before turning away to put their arm_ _around Pidge’s shoulders._

_Pidge had expected clear skies, and so there were. The crescent moon was perfectly visible, a bright beacon in the sky over the dark sea. It was slightly chilly, but the breeze wasn’t too persistent. Perfect weather for bonfire by the beach. Romelle had been the only person to point out that a bonfire wasn’t exactly the most secretive way of holding a get-together without the camp instructors noticing. Absolutely nobody took heed. They still attempted to move as quietly as possible,_

_The brief silence was broken with Romelle’s arrival. She gasped as she beheld the beautiful scenery, emerging from the forest. “I can see the stars!” cried Romelle, dropping her bag in awe before dancing and twirling towards the sea. Keith smiled._

_His friend was truly a sight to behold: her long hair was shining almost platinum in the moonlight, flying as she twirled. Even her jewellery seemed to reflect the magical, silvery light. Her face was pure joy, something which Keith had truly missed. He treasured seeing Romelle when she was like this; it had been far too long._

_Part of him wanted to join Romelle and dance and tell her how much he had missed this part of her and just how beautiful she was. Keith knew that he often went overboard with his admiration for her, but after Lance, he doubted that there was anyone he loved quite so much in the universe. After arriving at camp late, he didn’t have much time to catch up with his friend about the trials and tribulations of English school, but in the weeks following she had been especially frosty, even more so whenever he was with Lance._

_She waved at him madly, already knee deep in seawater, her hair streaming magnificently behind her. Instead, he held onto Lance’s hand and waved back, hoping his face conveyed his true gratitude and love for her. Even from such a long distance away, Keith could see the disappointment on her face. She turned away and continued to dance, but with less enthusiasm than before. They both often wondered what had happened to their invisible, impenetrable bond; moments like these were when the cracks began to show._

_Shay laughed without noticing Romelle’s changed expression. “We get it Romelle,” she teased. “You’re gorgeous and you can dance… but all your jewellery’s gonna tarnish and I’m pretty sure that’s the belly chain I bought you with my hard-earned money.”_

_Romelle continued dancing, wading slightly further out so that the water just covered her waist. “Wow. Ok.”_

_“Let her be,” Keith said as he and Lance caught up with Shay. They watched Romelle dance for a while; all were mesmerised by the fluidity and grace of her movements. She didn’t need music to create rhythmic shapes with her body. Or perhaps she did, and the music was in her head. Just like Ariadne, Keith thought to himself. She had always been Romelle’s favourite heroine from Greek mythology._

_Romelle turned as she finished, giving her audience the smallest of bows before coming back to the shore. “How is this even possible?” Shay asked incredulously. “The girl doesn’t walk, she_ glides _.”_

_“Hm,” came Keith’s distracted reply. He noticed that Lance had let go of his hand, with clear intent, and not even to applaud Romelle. His gaze was still focused on Romelle. Keith wondered if he was paranoid, or was there longing in Lance’s eyes? Nostalgia? Regret?_

_Although it hurt, Keith understood Lance’s need to maintain a certain amount of confidentiality_ _surrounding the matter of their relationship. After all, Lance wasn’t out to many people and if anyone understood how difficult dealing with disapproving peers was, it was Keith._

_What he didn’t understand was the need to carry this secrecy everywhere they went, even if it was just within their – rather exclusive and undeniably trustworthy – circle of friends. When Lance removed his hand from Keith’s and they approached the bonfire, Keith felt betrayed and, frankly, embarrassed. Lance didn’t even spare him as much as a sideways glance when Keith huffed, sitting on the cushion next to him pointedly. Why was Lance so ashamed to show him affection in front of the others? Was it even intentional?_

_Keith glowered, staring sullenly at the fire. Yet no matter how badly tempered Keith tried to seem, the fire’s glow reflected so beautifully in his indigo eyes, turning his frown to a thoughtful one. Therefore, Lance hardly noticed Keith’s anger towards him. This would prove to cause Lance a few problems throughout the night. Pidge stood up._

_“James and I are gonna find some sticks so we can toast the marshmallows. Keith, try to find anything we can use as firewood. I don’t plan on getting cold tonight. Hunk and Shay, you grab the blankets and pillows and the vegan mallows. If you forget the mallows, I won’t hesitate to stab you. I left them all in the M.W.B.N* cave. Have you got the snacks and the fairy lights, Romelle?”_

_“Of course,” replied Romelle. Her face fell. “I left them all the way up the beach, though. They’re in that tote bag over there.” She pointed to a solitary bag quite a distance from the bonfire. The group stared in dumbfound dismay._

_Keith, however, jumped at the opportunity. “I’ll grab it for you,” he offered. Romelle smiled at him._

_“It’s fine, I’ll go. I don’t have a job anyway,” countered Lance. “So, stay jobless,” retorted Keith. He stalked off towards Romelle’s bag. The rest of the group departed with sideways glances to carry out their respective jobs, leaving Romelle and Lance by the fire alone. Lance opened his mouth to ask Romelle what he had done to offend Keith, then immediately shut it. He was wise enough to tell that she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. He was the last person she would give advice to, anyway._

_~_

“You really thought that Lance being a complete dick to you was due to his overinflated ego and his desperate attempt to pass as a hetero in the most accepting group of friends to ever exist?” 

“I could probably believe anything, Mel.” 

“I just don’t get it.” Romelle twisted around to face Keith, their fingers interlocking as she lay there in thought. “Supposedly, he was the best thing in your life, but he made you feel worse about yourself than you ever had. I have never seen you so unhappy or insecure.” 

Romelle was almost horrified to see the bashful smile tugging at Keith’s face. Just like whenever he was trying not to think about- 

“Stop that.” 

Keith’s brows furrowed, but he lost control over the smile. “What? He made me feel like the best and the worst simultaneously, or I switched between the two so quickly that I could barely tell which was which. Or where they started and ended. I was basically-” 

“On an emotional rollercoaster?”

“- an emotional chameleon.” 

“Right. Couldn’t have put it better myself.” 

She surveyed his face closely. Her eyes only narrowed slightly, due to her confusion as to why Keith still wore that smile. 

“Why do you feel – fondness – towards this literal shithead? You said it yourself; doesn’t it seem the tiniest bit toxic to you? Wasn’t constantly walking on eggshells wondering when he was going to feed you the next scrap of attention exhausting? Are the supposedly good times even worth it?” 

Keith only smiled again, and it struck Romelle. Every smile reminded her of how awful this situation truly was, and how much it would hurt when she told him her version of this. 

What kind of best friend would let someone fall so hard for – no, become infatuated with – such an awful, toxic, manipulative- 

“I know that it isn’t infatuation,” Keith cut through Romelle’s thoughts so abruptly that she jumped. “Infatuation demands perfection, and I didn’t exactly expect that from him. I’m not blind, or stupid.” Romelle snorted and immediately regretted it. Keith’s expression became icy. 

“I know about all the shitty stuff he’s done,” he said slowly. “We don’t have secrets. Just because I don’t constantly judge him for it, just because I haven’t condemned him for his past, it doesn’t mean I’ve chosen to ignore all the things about him that he himself is ashamed of. The only things which you seem to take notice of.” 

“Keith, I’m sorry but-” 

“No, really. You constantly invalidate my feelings towards him and degrade him at every opportunity. Don’t you see how this hurts me too?” 

“I’m starting to sound like a mom now, Keith, but you shouldn’t be so dependent on validation from everyone else because people just won’t always give it to you, especially people like Lance. I’m just trying to tell it as it is.” 

“Well, so am I.” Keith’s words were slightly testier than Romelle cared to deal with, but she still held her silence. “So just listen to me.” 

“That’s the problem!” Romelle could tear her hair out with exasperation, but for Keith’s sake, she thought she’d keep it together for a little while longer. “I’ve been listening. I’ve been listening all too intently, and I think I speak for anybody with good sense when I say that calling this situation being problematic would be the hugest understatement of The History of Human Civilisation.” 

Surprised by her sudden outburst, Keith lay, silent. For a short while, nobody spoke. Then, he replied, 

“We had sex.” 

“I know. All of our friends know. The entire freaking camp knows.” 

“Oh.” 

Romelle scoffed again. “And you aren’t even mad that he outed you to everybody?” “I don’t care. It can’t be easy for him either, coming out as bi. Or whatever he identifies as.”

More silence. Then: 

“That’s not even what matters to me. He made me feel something. So many good things and bad things simultaneously that it felt like the weirdest fucking trip of my life, because I hadn’t felt anything for so long.” 

“The only thing he seemed to make you feel was shitty. I mean, how he acted around the campfire? He’s an absolute dick. You remember what happened.” 

_~_

_Throughout the evening, Pidge found watching Lance’s failed attempts at engaging Keith in conversation hilarious, yet unquestionably painful. She winced as Lance, ever so casually, draped an arm over Keith’s shoulder, resulting in the most withering of glares she had ever witnessed. Part of her was impressed, since the only withering glare to rival Keith’s would be her own. All the while, Keith continued to ignore any innuendoes, any flirting and any warmth he would’ve otherwise happily received from Lance._

_“It’s such a pity that Keith’s knowledge of 70’s music is just…lacking,” Lance started. Pidge groaned, burying her face into the blanket she shared with Romelle. “Don’t you dare groan at me, Pidge. It’s awful! I could recite the lyrics of Good Old-Fashioned Loverboy to anybody else and they would swoon.” James made eye contact with Lance, telepathically willing the boy to STOP TALKING. It didn’t work. “Keith just remained completely obstinate!”_

_Romelle cut in, venom laced in every word. “I’m not sure that Keith’s the kind of person to find someone flouncing about saying, ‘You and I should go romancing’ particularly impressive.”_

_“You like Queen?” Keith strained to stop from rolling his eyes at Lance’s question. “ You know, non-conventional Queen songs.” Lance seemed delighted; Romelle, offended._

_“I’m British. What do you think?”_

_“I think we should definitely talk more.”_

_“I think you have a boyfr-”_

_“That sounds pretty romantic, though. Why were you singing love songs to Keith?” Hunk asked slowly, distracting a glowering Romelle from Lance’s advance. Pidge, James and Lance simply stared at him. He shrugged and pulled Shay closer to himself. “I mean, if you’re going to practise for Allura, why don’t you do it on a girl?” Lance’s smile faltered for a moment. Hunk pressed on, “I’m sure Romelle could spare some of her time.”_

_“I’d rather sell Kosmo to the circus,” Romelle snapped. She glanced at Keith, worried that he’d caught Hunk’s comment about Allura. He seemed to be unfazed. Was it problematic that Keith ignored everyone’s constant jabs at Lance about his unresolved feelings for Allura, but never questioned it?_

_James sighed. They’d just about had enough with everyone who enjoyed Lance’s struggle and Keith’s annoyance. Even when they were clearly together, nobody seemed to tire of their rivalry. No-one seemed willing to save Lance from Keith’s eternal wrath but them, either._

_As Shay complained about what could’ve “possibly possessed Keith” in that cave for the eight hundredth time, James cut through the conversation, saying, “Do you know what this is all really about? This entire month, the cave, this party, everything? We only do this because we all wanted that feeling belonging and acceptance with our friends – to me, my family – for the last time before next year when we’re all parting ways. And I’m so grateful to spend this time with you guys.”_

_James grinned. “I would do a toast if Keith wasn’t supposed to be sober. It’s supposed to be momentous, memorable, significant. A signpost in our lives.”_

_“You’re really full of synonyms today, James.” Muttered Romelle, whilst Keith struggled not to let the smile tugging at his lips disrupt his frosty facade._

_“To answer your question Shay - think about what could’ve motivated Keith to risk all of our lives just to look at a rare anemone in that cave and consider – who’s responsible? I’ll tell you – Coran banging on about how lucky we were to be witnessing one. And Keith probably thought – this could really be the last time. Who knows what tomorrow could bring?”_

_“Common knowledge, Jay.” Pidge sighed, then smiled at Keith, not warmly, but knowingly. “I know with Lance going to Cuba and Mel being indefinitely moved back to London, we all feel uncertain. It’s causing us to act out in all sorts of ways because let’s face it. We don’t know when we’re going to be like this. Not even together – just with this dynamic. But we let it get the better of us sometimes. Definitely at the wrong times, especially when you think an anemone is the biggest scientific find of the decade and stop to look at it in a literally crumbling cave. But James, why-”_

_“And that’s a wrap on today’s piece of wisdom for your local ace couple!” James concluded before settling back into their comfortable quiet, while the rest of the group watched them quizzically. Keith’s mouth remained set in a line. To an outsider, whatever just happened was strange and frankly irrelevant at that time, but Keith knew exactly what James was doing. Unwanted advice constantly being thrown at him was beginning to tire him out. Pidge and James were hardly subtle about anything they did._

_James wasn’t outwardly disapproving of their relationship, since they hardly spoke to Keith if they could help it. They had been friends with Lance for a while and had seen his handling of romantic endeavours in the past, which only ended in heartbreak for both parties. Keith knew that their constant referral to the collapsed cave from earlier that month wasn’t coincidental; it was a metaphor. Keith, fascinated by the contents of the cave, tried to remain inside it for too long and only escaped narrowly. He was shaken, hyperventilating and had slight concussion, but was otherwise fine._

_Lance set the entire cave falling in the first place._

_Lance anxiously bit his lip, deciphering what James’ words meant, whilst Keith huffed quietly, pulling his blanked tighter around himself. They glanced at each other simultaneously, then jerked away as if scored by the other’s gaze._

_Lance then realised why Pidge and James had been smirking at him, their faces twinning images of mockery, even when sitting across the circle to each other. Keith was well and truly fed up. If Keith was mad at him tonight, they wouldn’t have an opportunity for_ that _for the rest of the summer holiday, since Lance was flying to Cuba the night after camp ended._

_Disappointment and annoyance flashed across his features so quickly that nobody but Pidge noticed. He stared at Keith who was back to ignoring him, frostily as ever. Pidge snorted. Even Romelle allowed herself a small smile, even if it were only to spite Lance. Shay loudly cleared her throat, noticing that fewer and fewer people were paying attention to her speaking. Keith disregarded all of this._

_“You’re all… malicious pixies,” Lance hissed. “Now listen to poor Shay.” He then returned his attention to Keith. There was no way that Keith was going to spend their penultimate night in a mood. Absolutely no way. There was no way James’ sinister omens were going to ruin this either. Damn whatever the others thought._

_However, Keith seemed set on remaining in a strop for the rest of the night. He fully planned on returning to Romelle’s and ranting to her about how little everybody in the universe cared about his feelings (and how much he deserved it) until morning. Naturally, Lance took this as a challenge and of course, he wouldn’t relent until he had won. Keith just didn’t know this yet. Plus, it was the penultimate night. It was tradition to celebrate on the penultimate night – most people left a day early and celebrating on the final night was so… predictable. He had some idea of what he would be spending his night doing and couldn’t have Keith’s unresponsive state ruining his plan._

_He placed his finger at the top of Keith’s neck and drew it down the centre of his back, smirking as he felt Keith freeze at his touch. If anybody knew Keith at all, they would know how hopelessly ticklish he was. Romelle’s smile quickly turned into a disapproving glare as Keith’s panicked eyes met her own._

~ 

“See? I don’t think I should be the one unpacking everything that happened there, but you refuse to see why it’s so bad!” 

Keith physically struggled not to roll his eyes. Maybe this was just Romelle’s way of showing that she cared, or her saviour complex was starting to show again. This wasn’t a situation Keith felt he needed saving from, and he certainly didn’t appreciate Romelle’s psychoanalysis of everything Lance did to prove that his and Keith’s relationship was toxic. 

It was less than perfect. Keith saw this and it had never bothered him before Romelle began to pry. Besides, he didn’t find everything about what Lance did at the bonfire awful. He couldn’t deny that everything Lance did to him made him deliriously happy. Unfortunately, telling Romelle that he enjoyed part of the experience from the previous night would definitely set him back ten miles with convincing her that Lance wasn’t evil incarnate. 

“I’m not stupid Romelle. I know why he acts like this and I know that doesn’t justify it, but could you just lay off for one moment? We aren’t getting married. We aren’t even dating. Not for sure.” 

“Since you aren’t even dating you place way too much importance on him already. I can’t imagine how much worse you’d be if you were actually dating. You’d be anxious and miserable all the time if he has the power to make you feel like this when you aren’t even exclusive. “ 

To Keith’s credit, it’s difficult to accept truths like this. He didn’t understand why Lance mattered so much or why he felt so strongly about when, yes, he did feel like shit most of the time because of his antics. But feeling things was refreshing. Lance was the next coping mechanism he’d had for a while. 

As he thought about the rest of that evening, he started to doubt this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: I purposefully made Pidge female in this fic, simply for the reason that she was actually female in the show. Please ignore my casual disregard for almost anything else which happened canonically.  
> In all seriousness, I appreciate the importance of trans and non-binary representation, but I thought it would be interesting to have Pidge as a girl with a non-binary ace partner instead.  
> Yes, ace people can date, if you were questioning it.  
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment :)
> 
> Edit: I look at Keith's relationship with Romelle, and they remind me of Tiffany and Pete from Bonding a little


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: This chapter and the next are mostly fluff before it gets a little angsty, so enjoy it while it lasts!  
> There is some mild sexual content in this chapter, and if it makes you uncomfortable then this probably isn't the fic for you.  
> Admittedly, I'm not the hugest fan of trigger warnings. However I'll never include anything particularly triggering which I won't at least mention beforehand, at least in the tags.
> 
> Edit: I sound like an asshole. Still, rest assured that there's no smut, 'cause they're still kinda underage.

_Keith started praying silently in his head. This was due to Lance’s fingers which had been lightly trailing up and down Keith’s spine, igniting the deep ache in his stomach again. At the same time, it made his skin crawl. However, the panic truly gripped him when Lance’s hand slipped underneath his shirt. His fingers were cold. It felt as if they were burning a trail down his back. They ghosted over the pressure point in his lower back and Keith bit his lip to suppress what would’ve been a spluttering cough. The motion hadn’t gone unnoticed by Lance, who applied the slightest pressure to the spot. Keith jumped, then cleared his throat. The entire circle turned to look at him._

_Shay froze mid motion, slightly upset that Keith’s jumpy antics had interrupted her animated tale about The Collapsing Cave - From an Outsider’s View. As if they hadn’t talked about it enough. “Is there a fly bothering you?” she asked icily. Keith’s jerked, yet sheepish head movements made it difficult for anybody to determine whether he had been shaking his head or nodding, but she continued anyway. He cursed himself for allowing Lance to win so easily. The fingers continued to move, deliberately and agonisingly, yet Lance could still contribute to the debate which Pidge had just started._

_“Well, if Keith wasn’t so fascinated with the freaking anemone then we’d have been out of there in no time! Besides, how was I supposed to know that one solitary column of rock could hold up an entire cave?” Lance’s explanation as to why the incident had really been Keith’s fault wasn’t unreasonable. But his fingers. Those same delicate fingers started to stroke just below where his waistline would be, turning what had once been tingles into a buzzing inferno. Both Keith and Lance wondered how long Keith was going to last with Lance’s ceaseless hand underneath his shirt._

_Of course, Lance wasn’t planning on stopping until Keith surrendered and stopped ignoring him. Childish though it seemed, it made Keith want to cry, punch Lance and attack Lance(‘s mouth with his own) simultaneously._

_To Lance’s delight, he could see Keith’s indifferent facade slowly unravelling with each involuntary shiver and slightly sharpened indrawn breath as Lance’s incessant fingers passed over and tickled each new, pleasurably sensitive area of skin on Keith’s back. He also enjoyed watching Keith struggle to maintain a neutral expression as he continued to stroke his skin languidly. However, Keith managed to keep his cool. Hardly anyone had noticed that he was practically_ _about to jump of his seat._

_Still unsatisfied with Keith’s reaction, Lance dipped one finger under the elastic of Keith’s boxers. Keith’s eyes widened. Lance leisurely drew circles there on his hip, smirking wickedly as Keith exhaled with a hiss and shuddered slightly. He was mere inches away from… what was he doing? Lance glanced at Keith’s face to scope a reaction. His face was murderous still, but there was panic in his eyes. Good. Let him panic. Lance was only just getting started. Keith’s face started to warm considerably, and he hoped that the glow of the fire would disguise the blush spreading across his cheeks._

_Pidge’s eyes had narrowed when she noticed Lance’s hand sneaking up the back of Keith’s shirt. She had suspicions about them, and so had James. This just confirmed a lot of them. She hadn’t missed the initial shock on Keith’s face, or Lance’s smug expression, or Romelle’s clenched fists. When Keith’s cheeks suddenly went red, she’d just about had enough of Lance’s antics. James made eye contact with her and mouthed, “He’s such a tease.” Pidge rolled her eyes in response. “I’m glad you noticed,” she mouthed back before interjecting. She decided that she would save poor Keith, who was trembling slightly by then._

_“Are you okay there, Keith?”_

_“Uh, what?”_

_“You just look uncomfortable, is all.”_

_“Nope. Everything’s just peachy,” Keith managed to choke out. Pidge’s face in response to Keith’s words spoke for her._

_Really, Keith?_

_Lance smiled sweetly at Pidge before asking, “are you quite alright, Keith? You’re positively trembling. A little cold? Perhaps you’re hungry.” The concern in his voice was so exaggerated that even Pidge couldn’t hide her smirk._

_“I’m fine,” Keith replied through gritted teeth. His eyes flashed dangerously. Lance pressed on._

_“No, you should come with me. We’ll go back to my cabin, in fact. I can make you noodles. I have your favourite kind.”_

_“He doesn’t want your noodles, or anything else. If he said he’s fine, he’s fine,” snapped Romelle. Keith gave her a grateful smile._

_“Of course, darling.” Lance’s smile almost seemed genuine, but Pidge knew better. Keith’s sour expression returned almost instantly after the word “darling.” Romelle hated pet names almost as much as Keith did and the way that Lance said darling was just infuriating. Plain and simple. In fact, he sounded as pretentious as Takashi from Host Club, but Romelle firmly believed that Lance and Takashi shared in all of their most undesirable traits._

_Pidge wasn’t altogether surprised at Lance’s attempt to take Keith back to his cabin, although she tried to resist the idea. She hadn’t missed the hostility in Keith’s glare towards Lance earlier either._

_“If you two get caught going back, James and I going to be in such deep shit.” “How does this affect you two?”_

_“I already have a strike against me and bloody Coran, as much as I love him, is on duty tonight, so he’s going to hold us responsible. That’s how. He sure as hell isn’t going to be forgiving tonight. He’s on duty, remember? Plus, Lance, I wouldn’t go anywhere alone with Keith while he still looks like that.”_

_“Like what?” retorted Keith and Lance simultaneously._

_“He looks like he wants to throttle you.”_

_“Somehow, I don’t think Lance would mind much,” James murmured. Their comment wasn’t missed by Keith or Lance. Romelle coughed loudly._

_Keith, however furiously he blushed, didn’t object when Lance pulled him aside (which, in the long run, might have been the most careless mistake he could make – not that Keith would consider later events to be a mistake, or at least, not for a while). Not even the hue from the fire’s light could hide how bright Keith’s cheeks were. With as much pride as he could muster, Keith rose from his sitting position and started towards the woodland. Lance followed right behind him, shaking with silent laughter._

_Then, the fatal question._

_“I didn’t realise you and Lance were close, Keith. How come you already know where Lance’s cabin is?” called James. Keith froze momentarily._

_It was as if James had purposefully pulled the wrong block from the Jenga tower, only the tower would fall right smack into Keith’s face. That disastrous question, with the disaster itself being the upcoming confrontation. Shit. He was in such deep, deep shit._

_“We’re friends, aren’t we? I’ve visited him a couple of times,” Keith offered, keeping his voice as nonchalant as he could muster._

_“He even leaves his clothes at mine,” Lance added. He paused to let the statement sink in and was pleased to see that it had the desired effect on both Keith and the others around the bonfire. Good. And another for good measure: “We’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Keith swore that he would attack him as soon as they entered the woods._

_“I’m not done,” Lance whispered gleefully as Keith marched ahead of him. He raised his chin slightly and continued forwards. All the confirmation Lance needed that Keith had heard him._

~ 

Romelle remembered all this perfectly clearly, but was intrigued. Perhaps seeing things from Keith’s perspective would help her to understand why he made all these questionable decisions concerning Lance. She couldn’t help but smile whilst remembering everything which went down on the beach after Klance’s disappearance. It was laughable that Keith thought their relationship was even semi-inconspicuous. 

~ 

_Back at the beach, Pidge and James shared a knowing smile. Romelle looked ready to commit murder. Shay had only just put two and two together, and Hunk had remained blissfully ignorant for the entire encounter. He was puzzled as to why both Keith and Lance had been acting so strangely._

_“What’s up with them?” Hunk wondered aloud. Now, it was Pidge’s turn to give a withering glare._

_“Lance couldn’t have been more obvious if he tried, you oaf.” Hunk’s face was still blank. Pidge sighed. James beckoned to her and she made her way over to them._

_“What Pidge means to say is, Lance is either getting lucky tonight or he’s getting multiple slaps.” Romelle said bitterly. “Hopefully the latter. Surely you noticed that he had his hand down Keith’s shirt, and probably his pants too, for the past God-knows-how-long.” Silence fell as they allowed Hunk to absorb the news._

_“What about Allura?” Hunk finally asked. There was an awkward pause. “What about her, Hunk?” challenged Romelle._

_“You can’t reply to my question with a-”_

_“At least they’re gonna be warm,” said Pidge as she settled into James’ lap. They put their arms around Pidge and the pair went on to explain the state of Keith and Lance’s relationship to Hunk and Shay with regular interruptions from Romelle, who was determined to make the matter less romantic than Pidge and James were aiming for._

_“I have to say, for someone who’s ace, you’re way too excited than Keith and Lance are gonna bang,” commented Hunk when they were finished._

_James shrugged. “It doesn’t mean I’m totally opposed to the idea of people having sex.”_

_“Yeah,” chided Shay. “Haven’t you seen them playing tongue footsies with Pidge whenever the two of them are cheek to cheek-”_

_“And I won’t be an enemy of progress,” they replied. “Besides, you’re forgetting that Keith did look ready to slap Lance into the next universe. We won’t know what they get up to until the morning. We can only guess.”_

_Pidge nudged James. “But… Lancey is gonna get laid. Probably. You know the drill.” They nodded in response. In unison, the pair yelled towards the woods, “ USE PROTECTION KIDS!”_

_“If you two weren’t so annoying, you’d actually be cute,” sighed Romelle, before flopping backwards onto Shay’s lap._

_~_

_When they were far enough into the woodland, Keith rounded on Lance, fists balled. “The hell do you think you’re playing at?”_

_“Somebody’s grown confident.”_

_“You can’t just ignore me and then go… go feeling up my shirt! In front of everyone, no less.”_

_“I hardly think anyone noticed.” Lance took a step closer to Keith. “And don’t you pretend that you weren’t enjoying it.”_

_“Actually, Lance, I was close to PISSING MYSELF.” Keith yelled_

_They stood glowering at each other, faces scarcely two inches apart, before Lance finally backed down. It had taken every last bit of Keith’s resolve not to look at Lance’s lips. That was NOT why he had followed Lance into the woods. Not. At. All._

_Lance began to apologise, even though Keith’s fists were still balled dangerously by his sides. Even_

_though Keith was completely unresponsive to his touch now._

_“You were being so cold, and it was driving me mad. I just wanted to be able to spend the penultimate night with you, okay?” Lance paused. “Only you.” Keith’s lack of response began to worry Lance, so he reached out to hold Keith. When Keith still seemed as if he expected more of an apology, he lamely finished with, “There, you have my confession. You win.”_

_Keith’s returning smile was much like that which Lance normally had – infuriatingly cute, but with a lot more poison than usual. “Now you understand how annoying being ignored is.” Keith shoved of Lance’s arms and purposefully kept himself at a distance from Lance, carefully propping himself against a tree with one knee up. “Are you ashamed of me, Lance? Are you ashamed of us?”_

_Keith’s tone of voice when asking such questions should have worried Lance. A lot. Lance was aware of this, yet he couldn’t help but notice all the wrong things. How pretty Keith was, how confident and cool in his demeanour he was, yet with that fire blazing in his indigo eyes, each_

_lined elegantly with black which winged sharply at the end. Something about that fire turned Lance’s legs to jelly. He couldn’t help but remember how Keith had shivered at his touch, how soft Keith’s skin was, how sensitive he was to every stroke and brush of his fingers, how gorgeous he was when he was flustered, how-_

_“Are you even listening to me?” snapped Keith, causing Lance to jump. Keith cocked his head to one side. “What were you thinking about?”_

_“You.” Lance replied weakly. He was still stepping forwards cautiously – drawn to Keith’s flame – and all the while, wondering how angry Keith was and if his answer had been a wise one. Keith seemed to know what he had really been thinking about. What had been on his mind for the entire evening._

_“Why do you do this Lance? We have two nights left before I return to that shithole and you decide to play hot and cold and you don’t even have a decent explanation for it? If you aren’t ashamed, then what is your problem?”_

_While he talked, Keith had kicked of the tree and started to advance towards Lance. There was anger in his eyes, clear as anything, but there was hurt too. Lance struggled to maintain eye contact with Keith, almost moved to guilt by the sincerity of Keith’s upset. He had no idea how to kickstart what was supposed to be an incredible night in his cabin, all alone with Keith. He had no idea how he would even introduce contact with him, when:_

_“USE PROTECTION KIDS!”_

_Keith’s mouth hung open, shock causing him to freeze in his advance._

_A great opening._

_Upon eyeing Keith and seeing his expression, Lance let out a bark of laughter. Mortified. That’s what Keith was, before he snapped out of it and attempted to shove a laughing Lance against the tree, hard._

_Lance ducked skilfully and staggered sideways the trees, still laughing. Keith’s mask of undiluted anger aimed towards Lance cracked significantly, although he gave a half-hearted attempt at making chase before he let out a high-pitched wheeze which sent Lance clutching his sides as he positively howled, leaning against a tree for much needed support. They laughed until they’d collapsed next to each other, stitches piercing their sides._

_Keith’s meticulously drawn eyeliner smudged where he wiped a tear away, grinning bashfully to himself. He was stupid to ever think that Lance would be ashamed. What was the point? If their friends weren’t the gayest bunch he’d ever known, then he’d be dammed. Lance hopped up and hoisted Keith up, mirth and a half-apology in that flawless grin of his, as he embraced Keith. That was the real apology._

_“I’m still mad at you,” Keith warned, pushing Lance back slightly. “Do you even believe that?” Lance replied, resisting Keith and pulling him closer._

_“Stop that!” Keith frowned. Lance raised an eyebrow. “I’m not making out with you.” Famous last words._

_“Sure.” Keith’s weakness spoke for itself, as he allowed Lance to hug him. They held each other. Then came the ghost of a kiss Lance placed on Keith’s cheek. He rested his cheek against Keith’s and neither of them moved, anxious and in anticipation of what was to happen next. Keith moved first, gently pressing his lips to Lance’s. He smiled into the kiss, pleased that he had initiated it for_ _once._

_Keith didn’t realise that Lance had been pushing him backwards until he felt himself backed against a tree trunk. The spongy moss acted as a pillow for his head as Lance’s kisses deepened, and the intensity of his mouth against Keith’s increased. It was as if Lance was in a frenzy: his hands began to search Keith’s body, stroking his skin underneath his shirt and squeezing his waist even tighter to his own._

_Keith felt kisses being planted along his jawline, trailing towards his ear. Lance nibbled and sucked the spot right underneath his ear, sending a tingling pleasurable sensation down Keith’s spine and causing his stomach to tighten. He returned his attention to Keith’s lips, kissing them more slowly and gently, his tongue caressing the insides of Keith’s mouth, stifling his moans. Lance grinned into their kiss and pressed closer to Keith, resulting in a satisfying sigh._

_“Are you in a hurry?” Keith managed to pull away for a brief moment, his breath catching as the cool air filled his lungs._

_“Depends. How much time are you giving me?” Lance breathed his reply out he pulled Keith’s lips back to his own. He flicked the roof of Keith’s mouth with the tip of his tongue and felt a delicious shiver pass through the boy pressed against him. Keith groaned audibly. Lance’s kisses were nothing short of exquisite._

_“You’re actually illegal,” hissed Keith after Lance puffed out a quick laugh for the third time, amused at just how squeamish everything he did seemed to make Keith._

_“What are you gonna do about it?” came Lance’s whispered reply, his lips ghosting over Keith’s ears._

_“Absolutely nothing.”_

_“Glad to hear it.”_

_And now, Keith was insatiable. He wanted, no, needed Lance to be closer, until there was nothing at all between them._

_What he really needed was for Lance to put his stupid mouth back on his, mostly to stifle the embarrassing noises he was bound to start making, what with Lance’s hands exploring underneath his shirt. It was all Keith could do not to grind against Lance’s leg trapped between his thighs._

_Fuck._

_They hadn’t even made it back to the cabin._

_As Lance’s hands gradually moved further south, Keith let out a shaky breath. If this was happening, he had to be wholehearted about it. There wasn’t really any turning back now, was there? Penultimate night and all._

_In response to Lance’s fingers hooked in his belt loops, Keith wrapped one leg around Lance, encouraging him to go further. Lance’s fingers deftly unbuttoned Keith’s shirt, removing it from one shoulder and planting more slow kisses on his collarbone._

_“Tell me when to stop, okay?” Lance muttered between kisses._

_“Not now,” gasped Keith as strong hands pinned Keith’s hands down to prevent him from removing his shirt himself. Keith began to tremble again. This position made him utterly powerless as he was pinned between Lance and a tree, yet the weight of Lance’s body wasn’t uncomfortable or foreign. Instead, a familiar squeezing in his chest began._

_Keith’s breathing became heavier still as Lance completely removed his shirt. He felt Lance’s chuckle rumbling against his chest as goose-bumps began to prickle over his skin. The kisses began trail down his stomach. The tightening in his lower stomach became a deep ache which was both pleasurable and uncomfortable._

_Keith tried to move, but Lance held his hips firmly against the tree. The restriction of movement caused panic to momentarily flash through Keith’s mind. The squeezing continued. That stupid shrinking box_

_Keith’s breath became increasingly shaky and his hands began to tremble. Then his left leg. Frustratedly, he balled one hand into a fist and curled the other tighter in Lance’s hair._

_Not now, Keith. Stop it. Stop. It._

_Lance’s cool tongue tickling his skin just above his waistband instantly brought Keith back, or distracted his rapidly derailing train of thought. His left leg’s bouncing slowed, the stopped, much to the relief of both parties involved._

_One hand continued to grip Keith’s waist, whilst the other played with the faint line of hair below his belly button. Lance’s slow movements straying further and further south both satisfied and intensified the ache, distracting Keith from his spiralling thoughts. With a jolt, Keith realised what Lance had done. Warmth spread to his cheeks. He gently cupped Lance’s chin, bringing his mouth to a stop. Lance looked up at him quizzically._

_“How did you do that?” Keith asked breathily._

_“Do what?”_

_“When I just… start shaking and my chest hurts. You know what I mean. You made it stop. It never stops. It legitimately never stops, and you get how this is stressful for me after everything in school-”_

_“We don’t have to continue if you’re thinking about-”_

_“-but for some reason I still trust you. That’s what I don’t understand.” Keith started rambling, sudden realisations tumbling out of his mouth as fast as they came to mind. “You understood how_

_difficult I find touching people or just simply being near to people. Somehow, you’ve changed it all. Shit, you’ve changed everything. I didn’t even know that it was possible to feel this way about someone, you know, or just… want somebody so badly. But you’ve changed it all. Somehow, I always knew that you always would. And I’m sorry for monologuing.”_

_Their eyes locked for a moment, breathing heavily and watching each other. Keith dropped to his knees._

_“Do you know what this is, Lance? Do you understand what you’ve done to me? This is… incredible. Unparalleled by anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s-”_

_“Transcendent,” Lance finished. “You’re transcendent.” A gentle kiss on the shoulder. “Angelic.” A kiss to Keith’s palm. “Mine.” And a coy smile which Keith simply couldn’t resist._

_Keith rose silently, simply holding out a hand. Part of him knew that after the confession he had made, Lance would follow him wherever he led him. Lance took the hand and pressed a slow, sensuous kiss there._

_Keith led Lance back to his cabin._

_Their lips crushed together mere seconds after they crossed the threshold, hands exploring the uncharted map of each other’s skin, frenzied and enthusiastic. Never had Keith been so sure that he wanted something so badly, so devastatingly badly that his body physically ached as Lance detached their mouths to ask,_

_“Are you sure?”_

_His hands pulling Lance’s waist closer to his own, Keith dragged Lance’s mouth back to his, their tongues tangling as their kiss deepened. Lance received the message, loud and clear. Kicking of their sandals, the intertwined boys backed towards Keith’s bed. Lance’s knees buckled, both because the bedframe he’d backed into and Keith’s teeth which grazed over his sensitive skin above his collarbone, instantly followed by the cool swipe of his tongue. They collapsed unceremoniously on the bed, both laughing breathlessly between kisses at their eagerness and clumsiness._

_Lance would make Keith lose his mind; he was sure of it._

_There was a momentary pause as the pair sat up and Keith removed Lance’s shirt as he straddled him. Tentatively, he let his fingers explore the golden-brown skin, tracing the shape of Lance’s muscles. Overthinking every movement he made was as irritating as it was distracting, and Keith soon came to the conclusion that he had no idea what on earth he was doing. Why did it suddenly become so hard when you actually cared about the person you were making out with? He looked back at Lance’s face and was met by a reassuring smile. “Go for it.” Lance grinned lazily before flopping back onto the bed. “It’s all yours.”_

_All the encouragement Keith needed, anyways._

_Keith’s fingers laced with Lance’s as he delicately kissed his skin. It tasted slightly salty and felt wonderfully smooth, with that faint fragrance. That glorious fragrance. Compared to the furious tempo of their previous kisses, Keith was so purposefully slow that Lance shivered slightly in anticipation as he travelled lower, lower until the heat in his lower stomach spread throughout his body. These agonising kisses ignited a fire, a need within Lance that rivalled Keith’s own. So dignified and controlled._

_So illegal. Keith’s intention was to make Lance pay for such exquisite torture because, no seventeen-year-old was allowed to be so good at kissing._

_And such a dramatic contrast too. Slow kisses won over Lance every single time. Lance let his head tip backwards; whatever Keith’s lips and tongue were doing, they did it well._

_“Fuck me,” Lance breathed as Keith removed his trousers. Keith’s eyes travelled up and down Lance’s body before their eyes met. That expression in his eyes… Lance melted. If Keith didn’t hurry up, he swore he’d-_

~ 

“Okay this is lovely,” interrupted Romelle, “but I know how sex works and I’m hardly interested.” “But-” 

“We’re getting off-topic, and this is just degenerating into smut so please. Spare me. And I can’t even tell if you two are romantic or plain weird. Nobody – and I repeat, nobody – is that articulate when they make out. But, tell me one thing.” Romelle’s smile was almost wicked as she asked Keith, “Who was top?” 

“Who do you think?” His smug smile told Romelle everything she needed to know, although she couldn’t quite believe that Lance McLain... She simply gaped. 

“I don’t believe it.” 

Keith continued grinning. “Well, you’d better believe it. Unless you want me to tell you more. I’m more than happy to.” 

Romelle flicked him, irritation replacing her shock. “Save it for someone who wants to hear. Maybe Shiro?” 

“Fine. I just don’t think that many people have the luxury of sleeping with someone like Lance-” 

“Trust me, many people have experienced that luxury,” Romelle replied through gritted teeth. Keith ploughed on. 

“Someone like Lance, who I thought could be the literal love of my life, and he was just so beautiful. I can’t even describe it to you. I know it sounds, I don’t know, gay-” 

At this, Romelle choked on her drink. The very same Keith who, on the first night they met, had found and saved 27 different niche memes about the high school “emo gays” which were all scarily accurate. “Nothing’s gayer than falling in love with your supposedly heterosexual enemy from grade school then having sex – no, not just sex – romantic sex with him.” 

“Relevance? So, the most perfect night in my life was a complete accident-” 

Romelle’s reply was possibly so dry that it almost shattered the strength it taken Keith to pluck up the courage to tell her about the whole affair. “Sorry, you accidentally fell on Lance’s dick so well that you reckon you’re in love with him? Besides, you two hit a rocky patch and your solution is fucking. And didn’t you nearly have a panic attack?” 

“Mel. I love you, but please don’t be a bitch about it.” 

“Well that’s rich. I’m hardly-”

“I know it’s Lance, and you two have history or something, but can you just bear with me?” 

“Wow.” His complete disregard for what had happened over camp left Romelle stung, and deeply concerned for Keith. Had he chosen to ignore everything he had heard about her and Lance? So delusional that he thought it out of the question? Romelle hoped that he of all people would understand the significance of a rumour involving her. If he thought that she was being irrational, he had another thing coming. “Go on then.” 

“With Lance, it just… that was the first time it felt right.” 

Romelle strained in order to prevent herself from rolling her eyes to the point of pain, but patience was key. She had to understand exactly what was going through his mind to allow such blind stupidity. It certainly wasn’t love- 

“You sound in love in love.” 

“I know! It was romantic as hell.” 

“Romantic as hell.” A scoff. “I mean, that’s as romantic as it gets.” 

-but she’d still entertain him whilst he reviewed the events of camp, because maybe he’d understand afterwards too. Through all of the bullshit, Romelle knew that he was more intelligent than all of this. The faith she had in Keith was stronger than many other things – hence her genuine confusion as to what Lance had done to him. This just wasn’t Keith; he had morphed into something different, so confident in him own correctness that truth could be damned. So trusting that his reality was, in truth, a plasticine model of his ideal world which was just as fragile as he clearly was. Keith’s own frailty was something which he enjoyed denying, or perhaps was incapable of seeing. 

“Romelle, just hush. It was more important than just having sex, you know? I know you don’t think much of it I had pretty much accepted that nothing was permanent. Nothing in that camp, not our cave, not our memories, not even our friendships would last forever, but still that clock ticked in the corner. It was like… a constant reminder of each second which passed between the two of us. And I swore that’d make the most of every one of them. 

“I swore on that night, I would try to memorise every line, count every freckle and engrave every curve and shape into my mind because… they were all precious to me. So I decided that I held them dear to me. If I had my way, that night would’ve lasted forever. And even longer. I mean,” Keith smiled coyly, “we did go more than once.” 

“Not only are you an absolute whore, you’re a poetic one.” Romelle hoped that joking about the matter would distract from the beginnings of nausea roiling in her stomach, the gradually increasing acceleration of her heart, the anxious thoughts which caused her palms to sweat and her skin to prickle. The panic which descended upon her whenever she thought about that. 

Keith remained none the wiser about how simply mentioning Lance only worsened Romelle’s state of anxiety. He took Romelle’s hand and kissed it, and it took everything in her not to recoil from his touch. If that made her a bad friend, then so be it. 

“I love you,” he began. 

“And I you.” 

“But I’ve never felt so… complete. Or purposeful. Or centred. Just – just – “

“Right.” 

“Yeah. Like everything was balanced.” 

“Before, during or after?” 

“After. Before and during, there was just so much going on. Like a tidal wave of emotions and feeling. And yes, before you ask, there’s a difference.” 

She wasn’t going to ask. 

“I was elated, but terrified, because I had never felt so vulnerable. When I looked at Lance, he seemed the same. That’s how I knew.” 

The smile which Romelle forced onto her face was almost painful, but that small part of her which truly wished for Keith to be happy was able to shine through for a brief moment. 

If only Keith weren’t so in love that he sounded near delusional. Blind. Teenagers didn’t have romantic sex, or at least, not those like Lance. They had sex for all the other reasons. They messed around with drunk girls who had – almost – passed out. They fucked girls who trusted them, only to humiliate and shame them when it suited them. They did it to assert control, they did it because they thought it was their right. They did it for their own gain. They did it on an impulse. They did it because it – and girls – can be fun. They did it when, where and with whomever they liked. When they did it for any reason concerning the word “love,” it became dangerous. To Romelle, that word only entertained a game of delusions. 

And again, she wasn’t wrong. Keith didn’t understand the extent to which he was lying to himself by callings this love when it was little more than over-dependence and attachment and possibly infatuation. However, the best thing that had happened to him in months, possibly years - or the realest thing – had to be given some credit. Perhaps love wasn’t such an exaggeration for what he felt, but slightly misguided when there was no comparison to make with whatever he felt for Lance emotionally when his only other strong connection was with Romelle. She was basically his sister. 

They'd met shortly after Krolia moved him to England, and Keith was just finding his bearings in his new school before being thrust into a setting on his very first weekend where he was expected to socialise with the firms in the sister school. Speed dating, no less. He didn't think he could be any more unimpressed with the British. 

Romelle instantly caught his attention. She looked like an outcast, just like him. And she was so beautiful. Just standing there, icy and gloriously bored, positioned by a doorframe as if she was counting down the seconds before she could leave. Approaching her was the best decision Keith ever made. 

They talked for the entire night, both skipping curfew to spend more time together in town at night. He had never felt so well understood. She too felt trapped and far from everything she knew and loved, but whilst Keith had only just arrived, she was soon to leave. 

They joked that their love was a tragedy, but somewhat miraculously, she was transferring to Keith's old school. When she departed two months later, Keith promised that they'd meet again. They spent almost all of their time together, missing mealtimes and eventually detentions to see each other. Keith nearly died when sneaking out of his boarding house at night for the fourth time - his matron stopped him only to hand him two condoms, saying: 

"I can't stop you from going out, but there will be no impregnating on my watch." He wondered if she just chose to ignore the pride flag on his desk. And his wristband. And his eyeliner. “Tell me what else I’ve missed. I'm sure there's plenty.” 

“I can tell you when we sort of became a thing. But we aren’t dating, not really. He’s never been with a guy and we didn’t want to label anything. I suppose we just wanted to see where it goes, and if we continue outside of camp then I hope we’ll consider the whole dating thing.” 

“I want to know what makes you trust him so easily and so confidently, regardless of everything you know about him so far, or don't know about him.” 

Keith sighed deeply. “I was just explaining it to Lance the other day, you know.” “More story-time?” 

“Always.” 

They lay on their backs as Keith spoke, Romelle anxiously biting her lip in anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: In case this wasn't clear, the whole reason Romelle and Keith are having this conversation is because Romelle feels that his relationship with Lance is potentially more damaging than it is good. Keith has more of a love-is-suffering-and-that's-what makes-it-worth-anything approach to the entire situation. 
> 
> If you have any thoughts about this, I'd be really interested to hear about it in the comments. 
> 
> In case you aren't familiar with what was going on the night Romelle and Keith met, at some single-gender schools they have socials, where the school holds an event traditionally for the purpose of integrating the boys and girls. It sounds nightmarish. 
> 
> Remember to look after yourselves :)
> 
> Edit: It's funny 'cause looking back at this makes me realise how fixated I am on boarding school AUs. My other fic is completely based off of a social.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: This chapter might be my favourite thing that I've written; it reminds me of a time before the apocalypse was upon us. 
> 
> Edit: Very that. Discovering this was p sentimental.

_“D’you know what I’d love, Keith? If you got a tattoo.”_

_Lance lay next to him, drawing patterns on his forearm. Keith’s only visible reaction was the occasional twitch of his lips where he found Lance’s fingers ticklish._

_“I already have two.” He grinned as Lance’s eyes widened in shock, sitting up and lifting his shirt to expose the Blade of Marmora symbol on his back in an indigo so dark it almost appeared black. Lance gaped. “How come I’ve never seen this? We’ve been swimming and everything.”_

_“It beats me. Maybe you were slightly distracted?” he added. Lance pouted.” How could you blame me? Have you seen yourself? Anyway, where’s the second?”_

_Keith bashfully scratched his head. “Oh. This one’s less cool – it’s a stick and pole from this guy at my school. He thought it was genius.” He turned so that Lance could see his left side, where he saw a faded symbol-_

_“Scorpio? For real? That’s so disappointing – you should get something The Great Wave Off Kanagawa-esque. You know, something cooler than your zodiac sign. The lines aren’t even straight.” Keith lay back down next to him, seemingly offended. “Are you saying that just because I’m Japanese?” Lance didn’t respond, which confirmed Keith’s belief. He was intrigued when Lance drew a particularly long swirl which almost reached Keith’s shoulder._

_“Are you actually drawing wind on me?” He turned on his side, smirking. “I’ve been trying to figure out what you’ve been drawing and it’s all utter nonsense.”_

_“I’m sorry that my imaginary drawing skills aren’t up to your standards. If you’re so into art, go date Romelle.”_

_“Why Romelle?”_

_“Have you seen her? She is art.”_

_Keith snorted. “You disgust me. That's the straightest shit I've ever heard."_

_"Don't invalidate my bisexuality, Keith."_

_"I hate you, but I can’t dispute that. If I were straight, or at least bi, she’d be the sole reason.”_

_Keith sat up, pulling Lance with him. “Now that you’ve had your little appreciation moment for my best friend, let me tell you what your drawing made me think of.”_

_“I’m so glad I inspire you.”_

_“Don’t get excited. It was barely a doodle”_

_Lance rolled his eyes before asking, “Is it a metaphor?”_

_Keith hesitated. “Yes. It’s a metaphor.” He reached out, lifting Lance’s chin so that his eyes met his own, and he saw a budding smile on Lance’s face. His hand lingered there before he began._

_“My dad used to say this thing: ‘May the wind be always at your back.’ I’ve never felt like that. I constantly feel like I’m walking against this strong wind and it makes every simple thing I do difficult. Moving forwards with my life is strenuous enough, without the fact that living itself is so taxing to my body and mind, because it’s all so tiring.”_

_Lance nodded somberly, brushing his thumb over the back of Keith’s hand. “Deep.”_

_“Sh. It makes you wonder if there’s ever going to be reprieve, or if maybe just giving up would be easier. Submitting to that wind blowing against you would be so much easier. Just – turning your back and letting nature take its course.”_

_“What does the wind represent?” queried Lance._

_“Everything. From the energy it takes to get out of bed in the morning to processing my memories of Adam and Krolia. It all feels like a setback since on a good day, the average activity or interaction will wear me out, so image a bad one. But then, when you’re cold and miserable and just about to stop fighting, the wind just stops.”_

_“Just like that?”_

_“Yeah. It just stops.” Keith smiled, sadly and somewhat distantly. “Well, it feels like it stops, but it just changes direction. And instead-”_

_“It’s behind you.” Lance chimed in. “And you feel like you’re flying. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. It’s like floating.”_

_“Exactly!” Keith’s excitement at Lance finally understanding one of his metaphors was palpable. “It’s that miraculous feeling of elevation, when you don’t even feel the weight of your own body. It’s as if the world is cocooning you. You’re warm and light and still, but everything around you is still moving. That’s the reprieve. It’s that extraordinary moment which makes you realise that the world isn’t really against you.” Keith squeezed Lance’s hand and brought it to his lips to press a kiss there._

_“That’s what you are to me. And, relative to everything else, you are extraordinary.”_

_Lance’s grin did something strange to Keith’s heart, because he was so happy that he didn’t know if he could withstand such strong emotions. If it didn’t feel so good, it would probably hurt._

_“I think I could love you,” Lance murmured. Their eyes locked and in a moment of brave stupidity, Keith pulled him closer and replied,_

_“I think I already do.”_

_He had to constantly remind himself that good wasn’t always synonymous with bad. Yes – their existence depended on one another, but it didn’t mean that this experience he shared with Lance wouldn’t shatter as soon as the wind changed on them. Keith was his own problem – his doubts and insecurities would hold him back, but Lance was the stillness and warmth which centred him and reminded him that he was present. With that reassurance, he was safe from even himself._

_Lance had made him stronger, and so long as he was strong, their relationship would be too. He didn’t understand infinity, not before Lance. Watching “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” with his second hook-up in boarding school wasn’t profound for Keith, and neither was the hook-up itself, but he knew that whatever brought him closer to a true understanding of what infinity was would be. If nothing existed in this world but his relationship with Lance (and to him, nothing really did), then his love was infinite._

_Because of this, Keith didn’t disagree when Lance told him to find him after Pidge’s party which was to take place on the following night. How could he, when he wanted to spend every waking moment with him?_

_They eventually rose from Lance’s bed and danced again, marvelling at how lucky they both were to have found each other in such an endless universe as they rotated together, foreheads pressed together as they found a familiar rhythm. Keith never took his eyes from Lance’s. It was almost as if their bodies had been speaking to each other since the first evening they danced, whispering secrets which Keith and Lance couldn’t possibly understand about themselves until they unlocked them together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original notes: Hope you enjoyed this very short chapter. Of course, I have to pepper in a little angst after this. Angst is good for you, I promise. 
> 
> All of the chapters following the next will be a mixture of the both, so if it isn't for you, here's your warning.
> 
> It's important that you know how to manage yourself and if angst makes you anxious, do take some initiative.  
> I hope you're looking after yourselves still :)
> 
> Edit: Why am I condescending  
> But there are some pretty heavy themes from here onwards, including the non-con parts, just as a heads-up (especially after women's week ik it's hard when so many conversations are being had)

**Author's Note:**

> I always felt that this fic had no plot, and that it was quite unfinished when it ended. I suppose it was more like me externalising my feelings than writing an actual fic. And, of course, it had to be Klance.
> 
> If you got to the end, I hope that this was as enjoyable for you to read as it was for me, two years later. I would love to hear any of your thoughts in the comments. Please be kind :))


End file.
